This is a place to let our children sing out through their perfect art. It is also a chance to let us all enjoy their creativity, stories and talent.
“Art is never wrong; it simply is.”

fabric

June 13, 2016

I had the distinct privilege today to make blankets with our 8th graders as their service project. They are doing a few projects, but this is their big one. They were able to choose and they chose to make fleece blankets for a shelter in Portland that serves adults 15 - 23 as they start a fresh life, learn how to interview, get off the streets.

At this age, they understand the importance of someone having faith in you and your future. They understand the importance of a warm blanket made with love. We did so well with our coupons at JoAnn Fabrics it kept it in our budget to make 30 XL double thick blankets to donate.

Another form of folk art is tramp art. Tramp art is an art movement found throughout the world where small pieces of wood, primarily from discarded cigar boxes and shipping crates, are whittled into layers of geometric patterns having the outside edges of each layer notch carved. The artists used simple tools such as a pocketknife to carve the recycled wood. It was popular in the years between the 1870s to the 1940s after which the art form started to decline. It was made in prodigious numbers. The most common forms were the box and the frame. Although there were no rules or patterns to lend commonality in the artists’ work there were objects made in every conceivable shape and size including full sized furniture and objects of whimsy.

Trained as a sign, coach, and ornamental painter, Hicks painted over a hundred versions of his now-famous Peaceable Kingdom between 1820 and his death. His artistic endeavors provided modest support for his activities as a Quaker preacher in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The theme of this painting, drawn from chapter 11 of Isaiah, was undoubtedly attractive to Hicks and fellow Quakers not only for its appealing imagery but also for its message of peace: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."

From fabric, to wood, to canvas and now weavings. Many people associate basket making with Native American culture. Every household needed someone who could make a basket. They were handy and pratical. Styles and skills undoubtedly varied and you may not want a basket from Aunt Lil as much as one from Cousin Martha, but these skills were passed down just the same. The finest of these bring quite a price at auction.

In 1856, the state of Massachusetts commissioned lightships staffed with approximately 10 men to provide light to passing ships in the heavily trafficked waters around the dangerous shoals to the south of Nantucket. The lightships, acting as floating lighthouses, were positioned to warn of the dangers and to prevent disastrous shipwrecks. With little to do during the day, the crew turned to weaving rattan baskets to pass the time on board. The wooden bases of the baskets were prepared on shore while the weaving and assembly took place on the lightship. The crew found that the baskets had many utilitarian uses around the house and were becoming popular with visitors. While no longer made on lightships, they are still called Nantucket lightship baskets.

Learn about Nantucket Lightship Baskets here:

We could cover more about Grandma Moses, Joseph Picket, and Ammi Phillips' paintings, but you can do a great search for American Folk Art painters to see what you discover. Know that architecture can also include folk art. You may want to search in Chicago or other older cities to see what you may find tucked into the bricks in a building or doorway.

For our production, we are making paper quilts. Simple patterns with scrapbook paper, scissors and glue sticks. Nothing complicated, but paper selection will make all the difference. Next post will have examples from the classroom production.

March 16, 2015

First let's talk about Anna Atkins and learn about this Botanist/Photographer.

John George Children and John Pelly Atkins were friends of William Henry Fox Talbot.[8] Anna Atkins learned directly from Talbot about two of his inventions related to photography: the "photogenic drawing" technique (in which an object is placed on light-sensitized paper which is exposed to the sun to produce an image) and calotypes.[11][12]

Atkins was known to have had access to a camera by 1841. Some sources claim that Atkins was the first female photographer. Other sources name Constance Talbot, the wife of William Fox Talbot, as the first female photographer. As no camera-based photographs by Anna Atkins[8] nor any photographs by Constance Talbot[15] survive, the issue may never be resolved.

Atkins self-published her photograms in the first installment of Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions in October 1843.[2] Although privately published, with a limited number of copies, and with handwritten text, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions is considered the first book illustrated with photographic images.[2][3][4][17] Eight months later, in June 1844, the first fascicle of William Henry Fox Talbot's The Pencil of Nature was released; that book was the "first photographically illustrated book to be commercially published"[18] or "the first commercially published book illustrated with photographs."[19]

If you can budget for Sun Paper from various sites and Amazon, you can do this. The blue molecules embedded in the paper are sensitive to ultra-violet light. For best results, prepare your print in a place where the sun’s light cannot reach the paper as you arrange objects on top of it. Direct sunlight will expose the paper quickly, but even ambient light in the shade, or in a room with a big window will cause slow exposure of the paper.

This is a wonderful opportunity to talk about blueprints and how they are used in architectural design. A lot is now done through CADCAM systems, but the blueprints will always be associated with the plans for wonderful inventions and structures.

You can also tie this into biology, history, art and many other subjects depending on the theme of the lesson.

There are three types of SunPrints:

Cyanotype - AKA the BLUEPRINT

Cyanotype, also referred to as "blueprinting", is the oldest non-silver photographic printing process.[1] It involves exposing materials which have been treated with a solution of potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate to a UV light source such as the sun. Negative or positive images can be obtained by blocking UV light from reaching the sensitized material. For example, a negative image can be produced by placing a leaf upon paper treated with this solution and exposing to sunlight for 10 to 20 minutes. The paper will retain the image of the leaf after it has been rinsed with water. Once the paper dries, parts that were exposed to the sun will turn a shade of Prussian blue (ferric ferrocyanide), while parts that were covered by the leaf will remain white.

Light-sensitive vat dyes

A specialized type of vat dye called Inkodye is also used for sun-printing due to its light-sensitive quality.[2] Unlike other vat dyes which use oxygen to develop their color, Inkodyes are developed by light.[3] These dyes are suspended in leuco form appearing colorless until they are exposed to UV. Their usage resembles that of cyanotype, but unlike cyanotype Inkodyes are primarily used on textiles and exist in a full range of colors.[1] Exposure times vary from 3 to 15 minutes depending on the desired color and intensity of light.[4] Once exposed, the sensitized material is washed in soapy water to remove dye from unexposed areas. Such dyes are typically used by craftspeople, fabric printers and artists and can be printed with photographic negatives, resist paste or through a silk screen.

Potassium dichromate

Sun printing may also refer to a photographic process using potassium dichromate which produces a negative plate for conventional lithographic printing. The process uses a film of gelatine spread on a flat and rigid surface. This is coated with a dilute solution of potassium dichromate and dried in low light conditions. A translucent positive is secured in tight contact with the treated gelatine layer and exposed to bright sunlight for a period of up to 30 minutes. During this time the sunlight and potassium dichromate tan the gelatine exposed to light. The plate is developed by washing in warm water and removing the untanned gelatine. Once dry, a relief print is revealed on the plate. The surface can be inked and printed in a hand press to produce any number of identical prints of the original subject.

March 20, 2014

Way back in the early years when my decorating gene was still quite dormant (my fashion gene was too busy running things), if you asked me the difference between art nouveau and art deco I probably would have told you I didn’t know anyone named Art. Then I got my first apartment…and discovered the joy of interior design.

Fast forward a few years and my interest in design turned into a passion. However, identifying these two styles was still confusing to me. It wasn’t until I began studying interior design that I actually learned what each one was all about (we didn’t have google back then, bummer).

So today for anyone that is as confused as I once was regarding the difference between art deco and art nouveau, I hope to make it a little clearer for you.

ART NOUVEAUArt nouveau came first. The term in French means “new art” It began appearing in the early 1880′s and lasted until about the beginning of World War I. Whereas previously art had been divided into fine art (painting and sculpture) and applied art (furniture, pottery and such useful items), this “new art” (art nouveau) encompassed all forms of art and design including architecture, furniture, textiles, pottery, paintings, sculpture, metalwork and even jewelry.

Art nouveau combines geometric shapes with themes from nature like insects, plants, flowers, trees and sometimes mythical fairies. Up until the period of art nouveau, these natural forms were not popular. The design is also often characterized by its organic, fluid, asymmetrical curves.

ART DECOArt deco emerged after World War I; a time when the world was ready for luxury and extravagance. It was prevalent during the 1920’s and 1930’s, until around the beginning of World War II.

Though art deco utilizes geometric shapes too, they are more linear, streamlined, repetitive and symmetrical. Sunburst and zigzags are two common shapes featured in art deco designs. When including natural forms, they tend to be more graphic and textural like the rough edges of a plant’s leaves or a zebra’s hide. Art deco is also recognized for its use of modern materials like chrome, wood inlays and stainless steel.

November 03, 2010

In this lesson we're covering bark paintings, ceramics, Oaxacan wood carvings, Day of the Dead (dia de las muertes), serapes and huichol yarn painting. The production is a bit daunting for younger children. The adults testing this out were a bit tested as we attempted to make sharp corners out of yarn. We're opting to purchase wikistiks or Bendaroos for the younger ones to allow them to have more success.

The goal is to teach them about warm and cool colors as well as the entire Mexican folk art culture and traditions. We don't need them melting down over glue on their fingers and yarn that won't stay put.

January 26, 2010

Yesterday I had the privilege of teaching 2nd graders about Faith Ringgold. This came on the back of some great lessons they've had about famous African Americans who made a difference in the lives of all. They lit up realizing that she incorporated some of these famous people into her paintings.

In keeping with the artist's medium, I decided that a paper quilt wasn't going to cut it. I picked up some inexpensive muslin ($2.99 covered the entire class) and cut up scraps of colorful fabrics I had in a tub.

December 17, 2009

I'm so excited about our artist for January, Faith Ringgold. She has never felt she was unable to do anything she wanted. She KNOWS she can do anything. As of this post, she is alive and well. She was born in 1930 and grew up in New York City, New York. Faith Ringgold has produced many fascinating books to raise social awareness and show off her beautiful quilts and story telling.

March 04, 2009

I was working on a quilt for a special baby who decided to arrive two months early. I had hear that the room would have an ocean theme. Ocean - waves. I took the opportunity to learn a new technique and sew waves as the backdrop for my aquatic scene. I put the word out to my Binky Patrol friends to ask for help with this new skill and they sent me links. I managed the waves. As I was gathering fish ideas and other creatures, the mother-to-be told me they decided to go with a sports theme. EEK! Sports? Crud. I have an ocean. An ocean and a beach. Sports, think, think, think - my husband hit on the idea to use the sign icons for the sports characters since sports are not really my thing. I loved the idea.